KUALA LUMPUR – Funds from the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s stimulus package could not be misappropriated because they were mostly in the form of direct cash transfers to the people, its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.
He also denied that the funds were used by his party Bersatu and PN for campaigning in the 15th general election (GE15) in November.
“The fiscal spending under the economic stimulus packages are in the form of spending that cannot be misappropriated. A large part of it was in direct cash transfer given to the people such as the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN), Prihatin grants and subsidies.
“How can the stimulus funds be misappropriated if it is money given directly to the people?” the Bersatu president said in a Facebook post.
He said claims that RM92.5 billion of stimulus funds had been allegedly misappropriated and that he had obtained “commissions” of 3% to 5% from these funds were all untrue and amounted to slander by political rivals.
“Allegedly, I ordered certain individuals to collect 3% to 5% commission from the funds to be put into Bersatu’s account…and that this is how Bersatu (supposedly) had funds of RM4.5 billion for the 15th general election.
“They accuse Bersatu of spending lavishly on the election…there are even Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders accusing us of vote-buying.
“This is an incredible slander that is based on fiction upon fiction,” Muhyiddin said, adding that it was “impossible” for him to order such commissions from the thousands of citizens who received the BPN cash handouts.
“The reality is that Bersatu never had RM4.5 billion (whether) in its account or in my account.”
Instead, Bersatu’s funds came from members and supporters, he added.
He said the reason PN appeared to have had the most material during GE15 last year is that it had used flags, shirts and merchandise bearing the coalition’s logo, all of which were printed and ordered in bulk two years prior when the cost of printing was four times cheaper than it was just before the general election.
Muhyiddin said political rivals BN and Pakatan Harapan are afraid of losing to PN in the coming elections in six states, and thus have to weaponise character assassination against him and his coalition.
“I also don’t dismiss the possibility that claims of the RM600 billion being misappropriated were concocted so that legal action would be taken against Bersatu to tie it up in court cases and to weaken its administration so that it has difficulties in the state elections.”
Muhyiddin said he would leave investigations on the matter to the anti-graft authorities and trusted them to act fairly.
The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has begun investigating graft allegations involving RM92 billion worth of funds from economic stimulus packages.
Last week, MACC detained a chief executive officer of a private company late on suspicion of being a middleman in the distribution of government projects under the stimulus package between 2020 and 2022. – The Vibes, January 11, 2023
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